Article handling apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A substantially continuous ribbon of a thermoplastic material supporting a plurality of depending and equally spaced-apart articles or bodies and moving in a generally linear direction through a first path of travel at a relatively high rate of speed is periodically fractured at equally spaced-apart points along the length thereof to successively provide a series or succession of ribbon lengths each supporting an equal number of the pendent articles, and successive ones of the ribbon lengths are handled and delivered to ribbon-length receiving and transfer means without contacting any of the pendent articles or bodies of such ribbon lengths. The thermoplastic ribbon may, for example, be a ribbon of a glassy material from which the pendent articles or bodies are integrally formed by glass forming apparatus while the ribbon moves through said first path of travel, and the apparatus for fracturing, handling and delivering the ribbon lengths includes a plurality of ribbon-length pickup devices which are located in a second path of travel generally collinear with said first path of travel and each of which are alternately moved and actuated by cam means to follow and pickup successive ones of the moving ribbon lengths, move each such length into clearance of the next following ribbon length, and deliver each picked-up length to said ribbon-length receiving and transfer means.

United States Patent 1 1 Bustraan et al. 45 M 8, 1973 [54] ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS [57] ABSTRACT AND METHOD A substantially continuous ribbon of a thermoplastic 75 Inventors: Daniel J. Bustraan, Big Flats; Mijo material Supporting a plurality of depending and A. c i R N, s d b h equally spaced-apart articles or bodies and moving in of Coming; William R. Wisner, Big a generally linear direction through a first path of Flats, all of NY. travel at a relatively high rate of speed is periodically Assignee: Coming Glass works, g fractured at equally spaced-apart points along the NY. length thereof to successlvely provide a senes or succession of ribbon lengths each supporting an equal Filed: y 1972 number of the pendent articles, and successive ones of [21] APPL N: 253,628 the ribbon lengths are handled and delivered to ribbon-length receiving and transfer means without con- Related U.S. Application Data tacting any of the pendent articles or bodies of such [60] Division of SCI. N0. 82,466, Oct. 20, 1970, Pat. NO. The thermplastic l 3,690,527 ample, be a r1bb0n of a glassy material from which the pendent articles or bodies are integrally formed by 52 U.S. c1. ..22s/4, 214/1 BA, 225/965 glass fmming aPPmwS While ribbm moves 51 Int. Cl. ..B26f 3/00 thmugh Said first Path of travel and the aPParatus M [58] Field of Search ..225/4, 2, 97, 96.5, fracturing, handling and delivering the ribbn lengths 2 9 3 10 0 214/1 /176 includes a plurality of ribbon-length pickup devices 2 0 349 97 7 which are located in a second path of travel generally 1 collinear with said first path of travel and each of [56] References Cit d which are alternately moved and actuated by cam means to follow and pickup successive ones of the UNITED STATES PATENTS moving ribbon lengths, move each such length into 1,790,397 1 1931 Woods et al ..65/67 Clearance of the next following ribbon length, and

3,615,335 10/1971 Koshiishietal. ..65/67X deliver each picked-up length to said ribbon-length Primary Examiner-Frank T. Yost Attorney-Clarence R. Patty, Jr. et al.

receiving and transfer means.

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1. A method of handling a succession of equal lengths of a ribbon of a substantially rigid material, such lengths moving on a conveyor in a selected direction through a selected path of travel with the trailing end of each preceding said length disposed adjacent to or abutting the leading end of the respective next succeeding said length, such method comprising the sequential steps of; A. following above one of said ribbon lengths with a pickup device while initially moving such device in said selected direction at the same speed as the speed of such one ribbon length, B. lowering said pickup device into contact with said one ribbon length and actuating such device to take such length while continuing sAid intial movement of the pickup device, C. raising said pickup device and said one ribbon length to clear said conveyor while continuing said initial movement of the pickup device whereby clearance is also provided between the trailing end of said one ribbon length and the leading end of the next succeeding ribbon length, D. moving said pickup device in a direction laterally of said selected direction simultaneously with the continued movement of such device in such selected direction, E. terminating the movements of said pickup device in said directions, F. actuating said pickup device to release said one ribbon length onto conveying means for transferring such ribbon length in a direction away from said path of travel and to a desired location, and G. returning said pickup device to its original position above said selected path of travel of said ribbon lengths in preparation for handling a succeeding ribbon length identically to the described handling of said one of said ribbon lengths.
 2. The method in accordance with claim 1 and including the preliminary step of successively fracturing said ribbon at each of equidistant points along the length thereof to sequentially provide said succession of ribbon lengths.
 3. The method in accordance with claim 1 and further including, actuating a second pickup device to perform sequential steps similar to steps A through F of the first pickup device during the performance of step G by the first pickup device, and a step similar to step G of the first pickup device during the performance of steps A through F by the first pickup device.
 4. The method in accordance with claim 3 and including the preliminary step of successively fracturing said ribbon at each of equidistant points along the length thereof to sequentially provide said succession of ribbon lengths.
 5. The method in accordance with claim 3 and including, controlling said pickup devices to perform their respective said sequential steps in a time relationship with the speed of movement of said ribbon lengths through said selected path of travel such that alternate succeeding ones of said ribbon lengths are handled by said first and second pickup devices, respectively.
 6. The method in accordance with claim 5 and including the preliminary step of successively fracturing said ribbon at each of equidistant points along the length thereof to sequentially provide said succession of ribbon lengths. 